In a 4G LTE network, Access Point Name (APN) network identifier defines the Packet Data Network (PDN) to which user equipment (UE) requests connectivity. The following PDN may be currently supported by a communication network provider: IP Multimedia System (IMS) PDN, admin PDN, Internet PDN, content filtering PDN, enterprise PDN, app PDN, and 800 PDN. Each PDN may provide a different type of service to the UE. For example, the IMS PDN provides IMS service; the admin PDN provides device management and administrative services; and the 800 PDN provides 800 data services.
There may be two ways for the UE to access services provided by the network: (1) an application client pre-loaded or downloaded from the market place and/or (2) a web browser. By default, an application client may attempt to set up a data connection with vzwinternet APN, and traffic generated from the application client goes through internet PDN. The application client may also have the capability to invoke an API to specify a different APN (e.g., vzw800 APN or vzwapp APN) for setting up the data connection. Depending on the specific APN used for establishing the data connection, the traffic generated from the application client goes to the appropriate server through the data connection associated the specific APN.
Unlike the application client, the web browser may not be able to set up data connections with multiple APNs. The web browser is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web, web servers in private networks or files in file systems. The web browser is associated with a collection of URL protocol handlers and display routines. The web browser may not be able to tie a data connection with a specific APN such as, for example, the vzw800 APN and the vzwapp APN. The traffic generated by the web browser, therefore, is routed through the same default APN associated with the vzwinternet PDN. For example, a web browser request to connect to X1Y2.com may be carried through the default internet APN to connect to the X1Y2 server. In response, the X1Y2 server provides information that permits the X1Y2.com web page to be displayed through the web browser. It may be the customer's responsibility to pay for the data traffic experienced while using X1Y2.com except, for example, for the data traffic X1Y2.com offers for free to the customer. However, since all the data traffic is routed through the same default APN, the browser may not be able to differentiate between different types of traffic. As such, the customer may be charged for traffic regardless of the type of traffic experienced while using X1Y2.com.
Hence, a need exists for an effective and reliable way to allow a web browser to differentiate between two different types of traffic and route them accordingly. Specifically, a need exists for an effective and reliable way to support multiple APN connections on the web browser.